A study currently underway at the Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University will determine whether or not practicing yoga, meditation and breathing exercises can help people quit smoking.
When it comes to practicing the stretching and breathing exercises of Dahn Yoga, the benefits are often myriad. Practitioners can feel lighter, healthier, more flexible and more relaxed. Yoga can do that – and researchers in Rhode Island are looking into what else it can do.
A study currently underway at the Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University will determine whether or not practicing yoga, meditation and breathing exercises can help people quit smoking.
Its authors hope to enroll half of the participants in a twice-weekly yoga-based cognitive behavioral therapy program for a period of two months. All other volunteers will receive similar treatment, but without the benefits of yoga.
Each classes will begin with five minutes of breathing exercises, followed by 45 minutes of dynamic poses, a cool-down period and a concluding group meditation. At the end of eight weeks, researchers hope to determine just how much yoga can contribute to the cessation of a smoking habit.
The mental benefits of Dahn Yoga, a specialized form of mind-body meditation, are often intangible but are very real. Practitioners can feel a deeper connection being formed between their brains and vital organ systems, as well as between the self and celestial space.
